April 28, 2011

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The sixth-seeded Illini women's tennis team (10-12) cruised to a 4-0 victory over No. 11-seed Michigan State (10-12) Thursday in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament in Ann Arbor. With the win, Illinois advances to the quarterfinal round, where it will take on third-seeded Purdue on Friday at 1 p.m. CT. The Illini edged the Boilermakers, 4-3, on April 2 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex.

"We're fired up and ready to play tomorrow," head coach Michelle Dasso said. "The girls played well and with a lot of energy, but we're still not where we want to be. We need tunnel vision and complete focus to be ready for a feisty Purdue team we've played to a lot of 4-3 battles. We want another shot at Northwestern, but we have to take it one day at a time."

Illinois wasted no time jumping ahead in doubles, as senior Annie McCarthy and sophomore Breanne Smutko downed Nicole Herzog and Whitney Wilson, 8-1, for the first win of the day. The 39th-ranked tandem of sophomore Rachael White and freshman Allison Falkin followed suit, as they held off No. 40 Amy Barton and Marina Bohrer, 8-6, to secure the doubles point for Illinois.

In singles, junior Amy Allin extended her team lead to 22 wins with a swift defeat of Valentina Rusakova, 6-1, 6-0, before McCarthy collected her 12th win of the year with a 6-3, 6-2, victory over Dana Guentert. Closing out the afternoon was redshirt senior Leigh Finnegan, who clinched the win with a straight sets defeat of Michaela Silesova, 7-5, 6-1.

Match Results
Illinois 4, Michigan State 0

Singles competition
1. #105 Rachael White (ILL) vs. Amy Barton (MSU) 6-3, 4-5, unfinished
2. Amy Allin (ILL) def. Valentina Rusakova (MSU) 6-1, 6-0
3. Breanne Smutko (ILL) vs. Marina Bohrer (MSU) 1-0, unfinished
4. Allison Falkin (ILL) vs. Nicole Herzog (MSU) 4-1, unfinished
5. Annie McCarthy (ILL) def. Dana Guentert (MSU) 6-3, 6-2
6. Leigh Finnegan (ILL) def. Michaela Silesova (MSU) 7-5, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. #39 Rachael White/Allison Falkin (ILL) def. #40 Amy Barton/Marina Bohrer (MSU) 8-6
2. Annie McCarthy/Breanne Smutko (ILL) def. Nicole Herzog/Whitney Wilson (MSU) 8-1
3. Chelcie Abajian/Amy Allin (ILL) vs. Michaela Silesova/Valentina Rusakova (MSU) 6-7, unfinished

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (2,5,6)